A volunteer with the Vancouver Animal Shelter claims pets are waiting longer than necessary for their forever homes because the city of Vancouver is not utilizing the free and wide-ranging reach of social media platforms to showcase its adoptable animals.
As of Tuesday, 11 pets, including six dogs, several guinea pigs, rabbits and gerbils, were up for adoption on the city’s website which has links to an “available pets” page.
“We have dogs that are sitting for eight, nine, 10 months,” said volunteer Rhianydd Bellis. “There (are) animals that have been inside for over a year at this point.”
Bellis has written to the city’s mayor and council, asking that they allow Vancouver Animal Shelter (VAS) to set up its own Facebook and Instagram accounts like other Metro Vancouver municipalities have done for similar animal facilities.
“In my view, the city of Vancouver is prioritizing its brand over the visibility of its animals,” Bellis told Global News in an interview.
The volunteer said many in the community are not even aware that VAS exists.
“Vancouver is the outlier here; every single municipal shelter in Metro Vancouver has a very successful social media presence,” said Bellis.
Surrey, Langley and New Westminster all have dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages to highlight their adoptable animals.
In a May 1 Facebook post, Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS) said social media enabled it to reach over 1.4 million views in April alone.
“Every single view, like, comment, and share means more eyes on vulnerable animals, more chances for them to be seen, supported, and adopted,” read the LAPS post.
The online visibility, LAPS said, means more forever homes found, more medical care funded and “more love and hope for those who need it most.”
“You’re not just following us — you’re saving lives. You’re not just sharing a post – you’re giving an animal a second chance,” stated the LAPS post.
In Vancouver, potential pet parents must navigate several links on the city’s website before being directed to a page featuring adoptable animals.
“It’s very clear that this centralized social media policy is undermining the city’s ability to get its animals seen,” said Bellis.
Coun. Pete Fry with the Green Party found his previous dog Ruby at VAS, which he said he only knew about as a resident of the Strathcona neighbourhood.
Pete Fry and his dog Ruby.
Submitted
“When I adopted her she’d been there nine months, she’d been adopted twice and returned twice,” Fry told Global News in a Tuesday interview. “She was kind of a hard-luck case, she turned out to be an amazing dog though.”
Fry agrees that a social media presence is needed to expedite pet adoptions and blames slow-moving bureaucracy and red tape for the city’s current position.
The City of Vancouver recently featured an adoptable dog bio on its Facebook page, and Fry said the April 10 post ended up being one of the most popular it has ever had.
“I really do appreciate the volunteers who are strenuously advocating to make us move faster on this,” said Fry.
“At the end of the day, it’s about fantastic dogs who are languishing in doggie jail, and honestly, they don’t thrive in the pound necessarily.”
On Monday and in advance of this story, Global News asked for access inside the taxpayer-funded VAS to film the adoptable pets, but the City of Vancouver denied our request, claiming visits require prior permission and are “by appointment only.”
The City of Vancouver also did not make anyone available for an interview on why its animal shelter has no social media channels, although an official spokesperson noted, “Last August, Global News has featured some adoptable animals on the morning show which was greatly appreciated and impactful. We would be happy to do something similar when a spokesperson is available.”
The city also issued a statement which did not directly answer questions from Global News.
“The City of Vancouver is deeply appreciative of the efforts of staff and volunteers involved with the care of animals at the City’s animal shelter and shares the goal of spreading the word about adoptable animals in Vancouver,” it said.
“The City’s social media channels are run by staff to ensure cohesion with our overarching social media strategy and industry and accessibility standards, along with allowing for community management support. Some smaller legacy accounts are still in use from a time when today’s social media practices were not in effect.”
It added that “work is underway to meet with staff and volunteers to better understand everyone’s perspectives and explore a thoughtful, collaborative approach.”
Bellis said she’s been surprised by the amount of resistance and stonewalling she’s encountered from the City of Vancouver on what she considers to be a no-brainer.
“It’s very heartbreaking, and for me it’s been extremely frustrating because the solution is so easy,” said Bellis.